It seemed to really echo the beginning with Joel carrying Ellie/Sarah. I thought it was going to end with them both getting shot. The ending kind of seemed a little too happy. I thought Ellie was going to shoot him, or they were going to arrive at Jackson with everyone dead. Although I guess the lying to protect her thing was dark, but a little odd. Less tragic then I thought it would be.

Reminds me of being a kid and playing "pretend". Loved the neon props, and interesting method to stand clear at the end (I don't think it's a coincidence that they look kind of how 3D models are in the standard "T" pose when they're still being rendered or inactive...or not and whatever I know nothing 'bout the 'bizz).

This game. I have very weird feelings about this game. I don't think it's bad and it consistently does things I like, but they just don't work for me. Like, with the exception of one point the game has been free of tension during the gameplay. The cutscenes have a whole bunch of it, sure, but I've never been apprehensive at all when it comes to fighting the infected. The humans are slightly more worrisome since they are dangerous without being annoying(a la Bloaters), but it seems to be more of a problem of presentation and atmosphere. I have to assume it's the presentation because encounters aren't much harder or more penalizing then MGS, but I find MGS tense as hell whereas I think Last of Us is fun I just don't feel threatened. Part of it is might be the difficulty, I switched to Hard mode since Normal was too easy and even then I've had 3 Health-kits with the supplies to make at least 1 more the entire game so far (I'm at the University) and I've never been pressed for ammo. It seems antithetical to what the game is saying about the world and it runs against the way the game (and everybody else) is telling me it is supposed to be played.

I don't like it when the game becomes a cover shooter, it ruins the feel that the game tries really hard to establish. There is no problem with the inventory system, but I really wish I could carry more bricks in exchange for other items. I've run into 4 or 5 glitches, one where I walked through the level geometry and couldn't continue. Finally, melee combat looks painful, but is really floaty and lame and doesn't feel like it connects at all. Therefore throwing away any visceral quality it might have.

Honestly, I wish I liked this game as much as most people do. The game is good, the story and animation are great, the visuals are really nice, the game is fun to play and they tried something. I just don't feel they pulled it off and it feels like I'm missing something. If I get the chance I'd like to do a Brick, Bottle and Bludgeon run where I don't shoot anything at all. There are some places where it might be too frustrating, but I think it would make a more interesting challenge than playing Survivor where I know I'd just get frustrated.

Is there anyone who agrees with me on at least one or two of these? Whatever, throw your rocks... I'll be over there.

When someone is immune to an infection that targets the brain, you don't go and remove the brain. Normally, the brain is protected from infection by the blood-brain barrier, which tightly regulates what is allowed into the brain and what is not. In order for something to affect the brain, it has to pass this barrier first - in viruses such as rabies, or prions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (or Mad Cow Disease). Passing through this barrier often means that the infection is incurable without at least some form of severe complication. This is because antibodies can't cross the blood-brain barrier, and anything that CAN is extremely likely to cause some sort of pathological result - you don't want anything rattling around inside your head.

If Ellie was immune to the Cordyceps, it likely means that her immunity was a result of her adaptive immune system. The supporting material in the game states that the virus mutated in her body which is why she's immune. This signifies that she was inoculated against the disease due to an inactive strain of the Cordyceps fungus (which in itself is a bit ridiculous considering how Cordyceps functions, but that's a debate for another time) being in her bloodstream, which caused her body to adapt to the fungus, much like how a smallpox vaccine would also do. The immunity s in her blood.

What does this mean? It means that the doctors with the Fireflies are FUCKING QUACKS. Immunity in the blood can't be found by biopsying the brain. They should be drawing blood and doing everything they can to keep her healthy while attempting to synthesize a vaccine through her antibodies and cultures, plus lots and lots of laboratory work with test animals, not taking out her brain. That's like killing the golden goose. This isn't something easily handwaved like "well, maybe they're fresh out of med school and haven't been doing anything in the twenty intervening years," this is first year med school shit.

As much as I love to rip on plot holes, Ash, I gotta let this one go. You don't see me complaining about time travel and shit in video games (basically because it violates every conservation law in physics and there isn't a shred of evidence to back it up). The way I see it, Marty had an excellent journey back to 1985, so why let science get in the way!